Boredom is where a lot of good ideas wait. Don’t scroll past it.

Boredom is not an empty state so much as the entrance to one. The mind does its odd associative work when it is understimulated, which is why ideas turn up on long drives and in the shower rather than during anything interesting. Scrolling at the first sign of it is skipping past the useful part. That is why plenty of people never feel bored and never have the ideas either.

When boredom arrives this week, give it ten minutes before you reach for anything. Stare out of the window on the bus. Keep something to write with nearby, because the thought that turns up tends to leave quickly.